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The Readers' Choice Awards, from Conde Nast Traveler, are about the best 100 cruise ships. This particular list fits into my "like" category because it...

Slow dancing (ahh, to be a teenager again), slow cooking (a fusion of food), slow playing (as in poker) and now ... slow cruising (more overnights and more late-night departures).

The most popular seven-day cruises in the world are in the Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska. They are perfect for people with limited time to take a cruise. Ships arrive in port early and are out by 5 or 6 p.m.

However, if you have more time, slow cruising is the way to go. This has nothing to do with how long it takes a ship to travel from port A to port B and everything to do with having more time to see the sights of the place you're visiting. To do that, you need to have a later departure or an overnight stay.

I've been an advocate of slow cruising since the first time I stepped on a cruise ship. My "eureka" moment came several years ago when Claudius Docekal was hired by Azamara Club Cruises to develop new itineraries for this deluxe line. His itineraries had more overnights and late departures and included stops where there was only one major site to visit, on days when departures were early. Azamara took the lead and most cruise lines are following that example.

Among the smaller lines such as Oceania, the luxury brand's overnights are common, just as they are in the "expedition-ship" category. But we are seeing it more and more among the larger lines, especially if they are offering unique itineraries.

River cruising has been in the slow cruising business for some time. In European countries and others around the world, especially in Asia, slow cruising is part of the river routine. Now larger cruise lines have followed suit with overnights in places like St. Petersburg, Rome, Venice, Barcelona and Quebec City and other cities where they have unique itineraries, or are ending a journey.

Slow cruising offers the opportunity to savour the nightlife, whether it's food, concerts or even the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

On my last river cruise just before Christmas, Viking organized a special concert in Vienna allowing passengers the opportunity to dress up and spend an evening at a concert that was strictly for customers from the cruise ship.

Azamara, on all cruises seven days or longer this summer, is promoting a special evening event exclusive to the cruise line.

Quebec City, if you go by passenger comments, is one of cruising's favourite overnight ports. If you're lucky enough to have your ship embark from the Quebec capital, you can create your own slow cruise.

Give me a choice between staying late in a few ports by missing one other stop and you have my attention.

Below are some examples of what I mean by slow cruising. You can go online to find these trips, but here's where an experienced cruise travel agent can save you a lot of time.

1) When the re-built Destiny turns into the Carnival Sunshine, you have an opportunity to visit several great European cities on a 9-day cruise from Barcelona (make sure you leave time to stroll Las Ramblas). There are several evening departures and you overnight in Venice - without the cost of the hotels in the city of canals, that's a big saving. At time of writing this cruise was being offered for $579 per-person, double occupancy, not including fees and taxes. Sunshine departures start at the end of April.

2) This is a Christmas cruise from the north to the south in Europe, a 17-day trip that leaves December 22 from Rotterdam. It sails directly to Casablanca and then on to an overnight in Funchal, Madeira (I recommend taking a sled ride down the slippery streets of the island), followed by another overnight in Santa Cruz, Tenerife (on the bus ride to the Mount Teide volcano you see a great part of this island). Evening departures from Casablanca and Lisbon add to the experience before rushing back to the cold in the north. The ship is Holland America's Rotterdam and the starting price is $2,299.

3) This cruise offers the best of Northern Europe with a land visit of five nights to Paris and Amsterdam organized by Celebrity Cruises before boarding the Celebrity Constellation. Once on the ship, you're heading for St. Petersburg, Russia for an overnight, stopping along the way in ports such as Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. Including the land tour, the cost is $4,649 and the Constellation departs July 19.

4) On February 22, Oceania Cruises offers a voyage from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires on board the Regatta for $3,983. The kicker here is an overnight in Rio and another one in Buenos Aires at the start and the end of the cruise. Sao Paulo, Montevideo and the beautiful Punta del Este are all part of the trip. Extend it at both ends and you have seen two of the most interesting and historic cities in South America.

See an experienced cruise travel agency to find more on these types of trips, or can check them all out at these sites:

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